Pumping system



July 10, 1923. 1,461,622

H. E. LA BOUR PUMPING SYS TEM Filed May 2. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 10, 1923.

1.461.622 H. E. LA BOUR PUMPING SYSTEM Filed May 2 1921 czar/8 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ma! 3 'na noun, on menus, more;

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Application filed m a, 1021. Serial no. scenes.

may concern.- Be it known that I, Boonz a citizen of the United States, residing a Chicago, in the county of Cook and tote e of Illinois, have invented a'certain new and useful Im rovement in Pumping .Systems, of which cise, and exact description, reference being bad to the acccmpanym forma part of this spec' tion. ymvention relates to pumping and more s cally to an improvement in the self-pruning type of pumping system.- One object of my invention is to provide 16 such'a a stern having a valvelees pump caabl?1 0 handling a mixture of gas and iqni v Another object-is to. provide for continuous automatic and complete removal of any an gas in the suction line fof such a system.

Another-object is to improve the automaticcontrol of the primindg action. Ihxrther objects an advantages of my invention will become apparent as the descrip- 28 5011; phroceeds. dr

e accompany: aw Figure 1 is an elev tt on of tlie main of a pumping a constructed according to my invention; 80 igure 2 1s a detail section of the portion of the pi ing in which the mixture, of gas' 'anddiqui occurs; a

To all whom it.

F1 3 is an elevation similar. to Fig-.

ur'e 0f a manually b ted 1,, t -*h:".;1 "is s p as a rig eso eimprov pump emfil'oyed inmy; and

guresfitollaredi views zorraisingliquid' indicating difierent we lay-suction with a val pum c In embo ent of my invention illustratedin. Fi .1- the suction adapted to w water, from an suitable source to the system shown an the discharge pipe 12-contays. the liquid under pressure generated by the porn to any desirable distribution tam. e discharge pipe 16 receiving it liquid impelled by the puinp 14 opens into a separator 18 at a point spaced somewhat above the bottom thereof as at 20, and the discharge clpipe 12 is connected directly to the upper en of the separator. A horizontal pine 22 communicates yvith'the se arator 18 adjacent the bottom thereof, said oriaontal' pipe equipped with a shut-oil valve 24' e following is a full, clear, con- -tem according Parts pipe '10 is quid, as for mstancef if From pi v2e, a. vertical inlet pipe 10 also opens. From the lower side of the head, a pipe 30 connects with the horizontal pipe 32 opening into the pump l4, In the pipe 12, I mount a pressure rehef valve 83 adjusted to open at a pressure materially lower than that which the system 18 designed to develop. e

The main features of operation of a eye: to my invention will be more clearly understood after a consideration of the diagrams of develo ment indicated in iF' resfltollofthc swings.

e difliculty involved in using a valv ess. pump to draw liquid by suction, is that whenever the pump is stopped, the suction line will fill with air or other gas. The first and most obvious answer to such an objection is to make a pump capable of handling either liquid or gas. Such a-system i indicated in Figure 6, and as far as the system is concerned, would a pear to be simplest and most desirab e. Unfortunately, the difierences in the hysical properties of the two mediums to he smiled y the ump are so great that no valvcless um as yet been designed capable of an and at the same time, ca able of'handling gas so as to develop any e ective liquid with reasonable efiiciency,-

Having been forced to the conclusion that the pumping system indicated-in Figure 6 tcannot be realized because no such pump as to inquire what can be accomplishedwith a pump as that disclosed in my cogent!- application hereinafter referre to,

%ch pum is ca able ofhandling amixtare or cm ion 0 liquid and gas with fair efiiciency and is at the same time, very ellicient in handlin liquid unmixed with as.

The roblem t erefore resolves itself mto producing asuitable mixingmeansfor mixmg enough liqihiid with the in the suction line, so t at the mix mass canbe gfictedlgthe pump. Liquid "being availreservoir 68, it would be ossible to generate a flow of airthrong the rest of the tern, and by gradually lowe a move 10 extension 70 formindgart of. e suction line to aspirate liqpi rom reservoir 68 asindicated by the 'arrowsat.

72 into the air in the suctionline. Figure 8 indicates the final position of the extension-70 which could be attained by very uired isavailable; we next proceed,

ual movement downward from the position indicated in Figure 7. At this time, the in the suction line has been complc y eliminated and pump 74 is handlin masses of liquid practically unmixed wit gas. There are, however, many practical objections to such a. method of mixing; some of the more important ones bein that the joints between extension an the suction line 76 would be up that the surface of the liquid in the reservoir is in many instances not steady enough to permit of the successful operation of such a device. 7

To obtain an efl'icient mixing action for assisting pump 74 in evacuating the suction line 76, we mi ht employ an auxiliary pump, such as t t indicated dia maticaelliy at 78, the pump illustrated sing a valv piston pump drawing liquid direct from the reservoir 68 and delivering it throu h a pipe at into a convenient intermcsiate portion of the suction line 76, where the liquid thus injected will be mixed or emulsified and the resultant mixture may be made such that pump 74 can elliciently operate on the same. Such a system is far superior to that indicated in 1* igures 7 and 8 in that an ellicient mixing action can always be obtained, but it is objectionable in the large amount of extra equipment 'required, amounting to an entire separate pumping system of relatively small size. fter pump 74 in Figure 9 is operatin with a full suction line, pump 78 may stopped or permitted to continue in operation as may be desired. In an attempt to eliminate the additional equipment of Figure 9, and at the same time, secure the 'same eflicient mixing ac tion, the next step is the system illustrated in Figure 10. In- Figure 10 pump 78 and pipe 80 have been replaced by a separator 82 in the discharge line leading from pump 74 and a. pipe 84 for delivering li aid from the separator and with e gas in suction line 76.- When t system is start ed, the pump 7& lying in the pump intoseparator 82 and from there, it will flow through pipe 84 to. be mixed with the gas in suction line 76. When the amp is stopped, the system will empty itse except for the lower half of. the casing of pump 74 within which a small quantity of water will remain, to assist-in starting again. It will be seen that porn 74 now performs two functions, whic functions were performed by pumps 74 and 78 in Figure 9; when the system is full, it operates to deliver liquid through separator 82 to discharge pipe as before, and when the system is bein started, it sup lies its own mixin flui The system. inicated in Figure 16in satisfactor for very low suction hit, and can be ma 0 to operwhen the t to leak, andwill throw any liquid which is thus withdrawn ate on high lifts by the addition of a check valve 92 in the suction line below the opening of pi e84. Sucha check valve keeps thesystem 8 ve the same full of water pump is not operating. When the pump is started, the gas, if any, in suction line 76 below check valve 92 will be drawn up throu the check valve and mixed with sufficient 'quid flowin through pipe 84 to enable the. pump to Iandle the mixture. The use of a check valve is, however, objectionable, as it is apt to leak and permit the entire system to become inoperative, as well as comprising movable parts which are subject to wear.

I have discovered that it is not necessary, even for developing vc high vacuums, to have the circuit or oop d efined by pump 74, separator 82, pi e 84 and the upper rtion of the suction ine completely fille with water during the priming o eration. I have accordingly indicated in igure 11 a rearrangement of arts in which the check valve 92 has been eliminated. To accomplish this, I merely form an upwardly directed U-bend or goose-neck 88 in the suction line 76, and connect pipe 86, which corresponds with pipe 84 in Figure 10, to the suction line at or near the highest point of the U. In this system, pipe 86 also performs a double function, as it delivers a small amount of liquid from separator 82 into the suction line for mixing (pu oses during the priming operation, an w ran the pump is stopped and the s m begins to empty itself, it forms an air break to revent the contents of the pump casing 4 from siphoning out of the tem. A sufiicient portion of the continuous loop completed bylpipe B6 is thus he t filled with water at a times to permit the formation of a suiliciently homogeneous emulsion or mixture during the priming operation. Upon comparison of Figure 11, with Figures 1 and 3, it will seen that the systems involved are identical.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, the operation is as follows:

Whenthe pump is stopped, the liquid in discharge pipe 12 and separator 18 will flow out of the system through pipe '10 comletel em tying the system, except ior the 'qui in t 0' pump 14 itself and in ipes 30, 82 and pipe 16 up to the level of t e o ning of pipe 10 into mixing head 28. en the pump is in started, the liquid held in the pump an in pipes 30 and 32 will be started into circulationithrough pipe 16 and separator 18. Valve 24 is at this time left wide open, and the liquid flows from separator 18 to pipes 22 and 26 and through mixing head 28 back into the pump. In passing through mixing head 28, the liquid discharged from pipe 26 is mechanically mixed with considerable uantities of gas,

m the pipe 10.

from inner actuation ofvalve 24- is soon as -todril1asmall'holeint This mixtuieot gas and'liquid is thrown b the pump through pipe 16 into separator 13; where the gasis separated from and passes upwardly through pipe as the'pressure m the separator-18 has updto the pointflgfoo glning'valve 83 e qm returning u. P1988 8111126 to entrain further uantities of in head 28. Valve 33 is no essential to operation of the system,' but in most installations it materiall im roves the functioning of the device by iii] the separator. premure prevents the accumulation of liquid in the separator which uccmnulation would in effect with-' dr'aw so much liquid from active circulation. Gas is thus continuously withdrawn from pipe 10 until the vacuum therein is suflicient to raise the liquid from the source of supply tothe head 28. Assoonesthisocc amp 14 begins to operate on liquid con little or no and separator 18 is filled with quid after which a su y of liquid under suitable pressure isd veredipe12.- As soon asthe rimm operation is completed by the raising 0 liquid in pipe 10, valve 24 is completely closed. A slight opening in the valve permits air to flow from tank 18 to head 28 through valve 24 to prevent the contents of pump 14 and pipes 82 and 30 from 'siphonmg over into pipe 10 when the pump is sto ped. It is important that the flow throng the valve he never completely stopped, and I" prefer a valt'e members ra idly P theli d merely functions to redetermine the relative eflective areas of the diflerent parts of the circuit. The pump 14 which I employ is a centrifugal pump ca able of handhng a mix;- ture of gasand i uid. Such a pumpxs own in my co-pen g application, Serial No; 450,349, filed March 7, 1922. It is made 'up' asshownin Figures 4 and 5 of two parts, namely, a front plate 38, and a back 2 pe si s n mg manner.

em loyed, thus rendering complete stoppage of ow I have und that surprisin 1y high 8110- tion in pipe'lO can be develope d -b systems similar to the-therein illustra' and described. The admixture of liquid and gas in head 28 may, if desired, be somewhat in grgved bymeans for throwing the liquid to pipe 26 in an irregular path, as for instance, by spiral corrugations 84 on-the surfaceof the pi In the erformcd manually. but Iprefer'to provi e automatic means for efiecting a closure of thevalve at the pro r time. In Figure 1, I have illustrated a a hragm control device 36, operativeupon he occurrence of sufiicient pressure in the separator 18 to move valve 24 into an almost closed position. It will be obvious that as long as the rimin operation continues, the gas with wn pipe 10 will geperute re atively low. pressures in separator 18, but as soon as the separator 18 and discharge pipe 12 fill'with liquid, the pressure in separator 18 will operate the diasystem illustrated in Figure 3,. the th valve 24. In many instances, satisfactorv' operation of'the m 5 is 'ble without 9o adjustment of mayo 24 w 'ch, therefore,

on entering the openmfiom.

late 40 ,'in which is housed the runner 42. ecas1ng formed of these two parts provides' an outlet 44 at the upper end, surrounded by a flaw 46, a flange form 'on ea plate. This flange is a ted to be connected to the delivery pipe or the pump.

he two parts of the-cusin 38 and 40 have flanges 48 and 50 for bolt ng together the two parts of the casing in a well known- The rear plate 40 provides the packing gland 52, which may he of any preferred or suitable character. At the'l'ower portion 0f the'plate 40, a foot member 54 is provided. formounting the epump, this foot member being in the form of a plate disposed at right angles to the main ortion of the plate 40, and bein'gmconnect by a reinforcin web 56 which is posed on the back side 0 the back late 40. n a similar manner, a flange 58 ies above the stufiins ortion of the box 52 and connects the stufling box with us back .plate 40.

-The front plate is rovided with an inlet opening 60 having a lting i! e 62 about t came, for attachmentto the intake ipe.

Between the plates 88and 40, I provide a cylindricaLperiphersl s ace 64 communicating with the outlet 44 t rough a flared discharge passage 66 which is most clearly illustrated in Figure 5. The ripheral s ace 64 provides a runway for t 0 ends of 0 blades of the impeller 42, this impeller having, as shown in: the drawin a multiphcity of blades, the ends of whie up much relatively close to the cylindrical sur ace of space providmg only sufiicient clearto avoi against the cylindrical fietween the intake opening 60 and the peripheral space 66, I provide a eonical pocket or intake passageway 68, which perthe liquid to obtain a substantially radial direction before engaging the blades of the impeller 42. conical space 68 is not occupied by any art of the impeller,

ee' the-incoming liq id is free to distribute itselffreely is rough this space, and to lower its speed as oqmpared with its speed Withoutfurther ela ration, the fore mg will so fully explain the gist of my 1nvention, that others may,'by ap lying current knowledge, readily adapt the same to use under various conditions of service, without'eliminating certain features which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a self'priming pumping system, connections providing a complete circuit, means for circulating a medium through said circuit, mixing means and separating means located at spaced points in said circuit, a supply. pipe associated with said mixing means and a discharge pipe associated with said separating means, and control means capable of varying the flow capacit of the portion of the circuit leading from t ie separatin to the mixing means but incapable of completely interrupting the flow.

2. In a self-primin pumping system, a pump and connection or priming the same, said pump and connection requiring a predetermined discharge pressure for satisfactory priming, and release valve means for holding the discharge up to a pressure well above that iiecessary for priming.

3. In a self-priming pumping system, a pump, connections for priming the same, a discharge conduit, and pressure release means in said conduit opening at a pressure above that necessary for roper functioning of said priming means, at below the normal discharge pressure of said pump.

4. Ina self-priming pumping system, a

limp, connections for priming the same, a

ischarge conduit, prcssure release means in said conduit opening at a pressure above that necessaryfor the of-said priming means, ut below the norroper functioning mal discharge pressure of said pump, and control means for said priming connections for closingthem at a pressure above that developed by the pump during priming and below that developed by the pump when primed.

5. In a self-priming pumping system, a pump, connections for priming the same, a discharge conduit, ressure release means in said conduit open ng at a'pressure above that necessary for the proper functioning of said riming means, but below the normal disc arge pressure of saidipump, and control means for saidpriming connections for closing them at a pressure above that developed by the pum during priming and below that develope by the pump when primed, said control means only partly closing said priming connections.

6. In a self-priming pumping system, a pump, inlet and disc arge conduits therefor, a priming and air vent connection between said inlet and discharge conduits, part of the normal path of liquid lying bellow said connections, said pump developin' a higher pressure when primed than duringpriming, control means sensitive to the pressure of discharge for preventing discharge up to a predetermined pressure, additional control means sensitive to the same pressure for constricting said connections at a predetermined pessure, both said predetermined pressures ing higher than priming pressure and lower than normal discharge pressure.

In witness w ereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th dagof April, 1921.

HAR Y E. LA BOUR. 

